Wednesday 7 August 2013 06.49 EDT
First published on Wednesday 7 August 2013 06.49 EDT

Spanish fishermen and workers' groups have condemned the pressure being placed on Gibraltar by Spain's government and called for a halt to the queues at the border with the British overseas territory.

In a further sign of pressure on Madrid over its alleged belligerence over Gibraltar, fishermen in La Línea whose drag fishing in Gibraltarian waters helped trigger the current confrontation have called for political dialogue.

"We reject all measures of pressure from the Spanish government towards Gibraltar and vice versa that rebound on our citizens. The queues of vehicles at the border are inhumane with so many children, old people and the infirm," the confederation of fishermen said in a joint statement with the PSOE, the Spanish leftwing opposition, and a La Línea business association. La Línea is across the border from Gibraltar.

The Ascteg, an organisation that represents about 10,000 Spanish nationals who work in Gibraltar, also joined in the condemnation.

It invited the Spanish foreign minister, José García-Margallo, to visit the fishing village "so that he can realise the reality of the way La Línea lives and how it has been affected".

Gibraltar must also act, they said, by removing the concrete reef laid last month on a fishing ground in its waters that is used by Spanish fishermen harvesting scallops.

"We believe that because of the tension that the population of La Línea, the fishermen, the businesses and all the Spanish workers that come to Gibraltar are going through we must see a big effort from the governments of Spain, UK and Gibraltar to resolve all problems in this case and misinformation with dialogue. We urge the Gibraltar government to restore normal fishing and allow our fishermen to work in peace."